A Tribute to Ingrid Bergman

A Tribute to Ingrid Bergman

It’s almost comical to consider that Ingrid Bergman was once considered “Hollywood’s apostle of degradation,” and denounced on the floor of the U.S. Senate. But it was probably because her image was so wholesome, right up to the time she divorced her husband and married Roberto Rossellini (whose child she was carrying). We live in a different world now. People gossip about infidelity, but unless you want to run for high office, it’s not considered worth a Congressional investigation. So today we remember Ingrid as one of the most beautiful and talented actresses on the screen, and with good reason.

The Swedish-born star may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time when she fell out of favor with the guardians of public morality, but she was in the right place at the right time when she first appeared in Hollywood. At a time when most of the leading actresses were known for stylized, formal acting, she often didn’t appear to be acting at all. Her natural style and wholesome appearance, not to mention careful choice of scripts, made her one of the most beloved actresses in the world.

And one of the most honored, as well. Only four women — Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Meryl Streep, and Geraldine Page — have garnered more Oscar nominations than Ingrid, and she is second only to Hepburn in the number of wins. She won for Gaslight, Anastasia, and Murder on the Orient Express, and could easily have had at least one more.

And speaking of awards, one of her best parts wasn’t even in a theatrical film. It was the lead role in A Woman Called Golda, in which she portrayed the Israeli leader so perfectly that when people think of Golda Meir they often see a picture of Ingrid in their minds.

But the Ingrid I’ll always remember will be the beautiful but troubled heroine of films like Casablanca and Gaslight.